While the media produces stories on beautiful and famous people with problems, sometimes it almost seems to be unpopular to be smart. Such an attitude will not fare you well in the real world. Cultivating your intelligence is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your happiness and financial success in life.
Steps
Set Goals
Set goals once a week. Ask yourself during each goal-setting session, how many of last week's goals did I achieve? Why didn't I accomplish some of my goals and what can I do to give myself a greater chance of success?
Be organized.
You don't need to be a total neat freak, but wasting time is not smart. Of course, there are many geniuses who are completely disorganized (think of the absent-minded professor) but if you're making an active effort to be smart, taking a conscious approach to how you spend your time is a big step in the right direction.
Aim to educate yourself.
Keep in mind an education isn't the junk you are forced to do in school for diplomas and degrees; it's an understanding of the world around you. People who are naturally curious for some reason begin to stop asking questions the moment they hit school. The truly brilliant mind however, always questions their world and tries to make sense of it. That is the secret to "genius". Try teaching yourself. You can even learn from your life experiences, sometimes called "unschooling".
Expand Your Horizons
1. Be open-minded and willing to learn new things. Just because you're great at one thing doesn't mean you have to stick to it! Find ways to step out of your comfort zone. This is where the learning happens.
2. Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific studies and interesting inventions. Educational television is a great way to learn. Check out PBS or History channel.
People who have something to talk about other than their own internal problems and worries appear far more interesting and intelligent.
If you can read much faster than you can speak, it is much more efficient to read a book, or better yet a non-linear electronic document like a wiki than to watch a show for all but the most intellectually demanding or video-dependent learning. Commercial television is particularly bad because its ultimate purpose is to do just enough to keep you at the TV and its ads, not satisfy you so you can do something else.
Work on your vocabulary.
Use a few definitions from the dictionary each day, or subscribe to a "word-of-the-day" service on-line. You can also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on increasing your working vocabulary. Read the dictionary one letter at a time. This will take you at least a year but you will grow intellectually.
Read a variety of books.
Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all genres including non-fiction.
Exercise your mind.
1. Learn how to solve the Rubik's cube. It is easier than it appears if you learn tricks in visualizing the cube's geometry. Also do word and math puzzles.
2. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math. There are all sorts of tricks for doing complicated math in your head that will amaze others. Plus, it can potentially increase working memory.
Learn a new language.
Apart from being a linguistic exercise, it may bring you into contact with new people and ideas. You may feel less of a stranger when you visit a place and you know some of the language. Also, at some point you will realise that there are some phrases or concepts in other languages that have no direct translation in English! This can be a challenging and fun exercise for the mind. (Note, try to be patient and positive when studying a language as it may take time to reach the level you desire.)
Visit new places as much as you can.
If possible, try to visit other countries too. Visiting cities in your country or in a different one gives you a open mind and teaches you about the world we live in. You will be able to understand other cultures (how people live in a different place, how they behave with each other, how they live and so on).
You will also be able to understand that the planet earth is huge and there are so much to see and do. You will be fascinated on how there are so many different people and cultures in the world. That will make you smart and interesting.
Make connections.
Burying information somewhere deep in your brain is not useful; you have to be able to access it in real-world situations. Think of real-world situations in which a piece of information will make sense. Then share it and watch it grow!
Developing People Skills
1. Simplify. Talking about things that no one else can understand does not make you smart. Genius is the ability to translate the complex into the simple. Practice explaining concepts to others. See just how simple and clear you can make your explanations. If someone doesn't understand you, it is not their fault for being ignorant, it is your fault for being inarticulate.
2. Learn to listen carefully to others' opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Asking questions may allow you to re-evaluate your own beliefs, or point out the flaws in theirs. Keep an open mind. The more intelligent you are the more questions you will ask of the people around you.
3. Be nice to people. Practicing kindness in the face of challenges is a sign of maturity, class and intelligence.
Tips
If someone asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, ask them to explain or to ask it in another way. Maybe they have not framed their question well, or they are being indirect; maybe they are not asking a question at all, but expressing another idea?
For example, "do these pants make me look fat" is not a 'real' question but a way to ask for reassurance. If you have determined that they really want an honest answer from you, and you don't know the answer, ask them why they want to know, or the context of their question.
Once you understand what they want to know, but you don't know the answer, be honest and say you do not know. There is more than one type of smart. There's book smart, street smart, people smart, emotional smart, technology smart, and many other types of intelligence.
Know the difference between being smart and being knowledgeable. Being smart is not the same as knowing a lot about the subject. Being smart means you understand problems and can think of ways to solve them. Being knowledgeable means you know a lot about one or more topics. Are you both smart and knowledgeable or just one? Meditation exercises the mind so you can concentrate properly.
Warnings
Don't let intelligence completely consume your life, remember that you have to enjoy life to the point of enjoying it as much as learning.
Know your limits, take a break every now and then to reassess yourself and manner of completely achieving your primary goal.
Don't become a know-it-all, do-it-all, or argumentative. It is obnoxious! It is better to be subtle, not obvious.
Don't just go online, research one fact, and wow people with it. Pick one topic to learn about instead.
Do not try to judge a group or community or anything with basic knowledge.
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